Flanging machine for flanging boiler ends

ABSTRACT

THE INVENTION RELATES TO A FLANGING MACHINE FOR FLANGING BOILER ENDS AND SIMILAR MACHINES COMPRISING A CENTERING DEVICE FOR SECURING THE WORKPIECE IN A FREELY ROTATABLE MANNER AND SHAPING AND SMOOTHING ROLLERS DRIVEN BY HYDRAULIC MOTORS SUPPLIED FROM A COMMON FLUID PRESSURE GENERATOR, THE SHAPING ROLLER BEING PREFERABLY PIVOTALLY ADJUSTABLE AND THE SMOOTHING ROLLER BEING PIVOTALLY AND AXIALLY ADJUSTABLE FOR PRESSING THE WORKPIECE AGAINST THE SHAPING ROLLER.

Oct. 5, 1971 F. HENZ ETA!- 3,610,010

FLANGING MACHINE FOR FLANGING BOILER ENDS Filed Jan. 6, 1969 H..... JL

mun/r023 FR/Tz Hewz Hm/s ZEu 6nd RTT'OkA/EYJ United States Patent Office3,610,010 Patented Oct. 5, 1971 3,610,010 FLANGING MACHINE FOR FLANGINGBOILER ENDS Fritz Henz, Reinach, and Hans Zeugin, Neuaesch, Switzerland,assignors to Christian Hausler, Aesch, Switzerland Filed Jan. 6, 1969,Ser. No. 789,207

Claims priority, application S/witzerland, July 26, 1968,

68 Int. Cl. B21d 19/06 US. Cl. 72-85 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREThe invention relates to a flanging machine for flanging boiler ends andsimilar machines comprising a centering device for securing theworkpiece in a freely rotatable manner and shaping and smoothing rollersdriven by hydraulic motors supplied from a common fluid pressuregenerator, the shaping roller being preferably pivotally adjustable andthe smoothing roller being pivotally and axially adjustable for pressingthe workpiece against the shaping roller.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a flangingmachine for flanging boiler ends and similar articles.

Previously proposed flanging machines have included a clamped workpiecefreely rotatable about the axis of a centering device which isengageable by a shaping roller and against which it is pressed by asmoothing roller. Such machines have suffered from the disadvantage thatonly limited adjustment of only the smoothing roller can be achieved inthat the smoothing roller is pivoted to a slide slidable in only onedirection with respect to the frame.

It is an object of the invention to provide a flanging machine having animproved adjustment capability of its smoothing roller than is providedby the aforesaid known machine.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a flanging machinecapable of a wider application than the aforesaid known machine andoperating in a relatively simple manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention there is provided aflanging machine for flanging boiler ends comprising a frame, acentering device mounted on said frame for securing the workpiece so asto be freely rotatable about the axis of said centering device, ashaping roller mounted on said frame and rotatable about an axisintersecting said axis of said centering device for shaping saidworkpiece from inside, a first adjustable speed hydraulic motor fordriving said shaping roller, a smoothing roller for pressing saidworkpiece against said shaping roller, a second adjustable speedhydraulic motor for driving said smoothing roller, a slide on which saidsecond hydraulic motor is mounted for axial movement of said smoothingroller in the plane containing the axes of said centering device andsaid shaping roller, a slide track on which said slide is slidablymounted, a first pressure cylinder for displacing said slide on saidslide track, a pivot by means of which said slide track is mounted onsaid frame for pivotal movement in said plane, a second pressurecylinder for swivelling said slide track with constant force about saidpivot, and a common pressure generator for supplying pressure fluid tosaid first and second hydraulic motors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One embodiment of the invention willnow be described by way of example with reference to the accompanyingdrawing, the single figure of which shows a diagrammatical side view ofa machine according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawing, 1 designates themain part of the machine casing, which also serves as the machine frame.On the casing there are disposed a jib 2 at the top and a carrier 3 atthe bottom, which can be detached from it. On each of these two parts 2and 3 there is disposed a respective ram 6 and 7, each being providedwith a respective freely rotatable pressure plate 6b, 7b. The rams aremounted in such a manner that they can be moved away from and towardsthe main part 1. This reciprocating sliding movement can be effected bymechanical, pneumatic, or electrical means, while additional apparatusmay be provided to ensure that the two rams 6 and 7 are situated exactlycoaxially to one another in their working positions. The rams 6 and 7are also slidable towards and away from one another, for which purposepressure cylinders 4 and 14 respectively are provided.

Between these two rams it is thus possible to clamp a plate which formsthe workpiece and the edge of which is to be flanged. The drawing showsa curved boiler end 5 in the position in which it is held fast by therams at the commencement of the machining. The shaping roller, whichshapes the edge of the boiler end into a flange, is here designated by8. This shaping roller 8 is mounted on a shaping roller shaft 18 whichis coupled to the shaft of a hydraulic motor 11. The bearing casing 19for the shaft 18 is mounted on the main part 1, advantageously in such amanner that the angle formed by the shaft axis 18a with the respectiveaxes 6a and 7a of the rams 6 and 7 can be varied.

A sliding track 10 is suspended inside the main part 1 on a pin 9, whichmay be adjustable for height, about the axis 9a of which it is swingableor pivotable. This axis 911 is perpendicular to the plane containing theaxes 6a/ 7a and 18a. The slide track 10 is connected by a pressurecylinder 12 to the main part 1 of the machine casing or frame in such amanner that the pressure cylinder serves as swivelling means for theslide track 10, that is to say it swivels the latter in the clockwisedirection when retracted and in the counterclockwise direction whenextended. A slide 15 is mounted or suspended slidably on the slidingtrack 10 and is adapted to be pushed toand-fro by a pressure cylinder13, of which one end 13a is articulated topthe slide and the other end13b of which is articulated to the slide track -10. A hydraulic motor 16is mounted fast on the slide and is coupled to a shaft 20 carrying asmoothing roller 17. The axis 17a of the hydraulic motor 16 and of thesmoothing roller 17 lies in the plane containing the axes 6a/7a and 18a,while the sliding track I10 is constructed in such a manner that, ondisplacement of the slide 15, this position of the axis 17a is alwaysretained. The hydraulic motors 11 and 16 are driven, for anti-slippurposes, from a common pressure fluid generator P.

The operation of the machine will now be described:

The plate 5 serving as workpiece is first clamped between the pressureplates 6b and 7b of the two rarns 6 and 7, in such a manner that itscenter lies on the axis 6a/7a. By means of the two pressure cylinders 4and 14, the plate 5 is laid against the shaping roller 8, throughlateral movement of the two rams 6 and 7 in such a manner that theflanged edge is formed where it is required. The pressure cylinder 13 isthen retracted in such a manner that the smoothing roller 17 lies on thepart of the workpiece '5 where the latter lies on the shaping roller 8.The pressure cylinder 12 can now be pressurised with a set pressure andthe two hydraulic motors 11 and 16,

which are jointly fed by one and the same pressure gemerator, can be putinto operation. The pressure applied to the pressure cylinder I12 mustbe adjusted in accordance with the properties (thickness and strength)of the Workpiece. Because of this joint feeding, slip between the tworollers 8 and 17, or between one of the rollers and the workpiece 5, isavoided. This slipping would necessarily always occur, if a rigid drivewas provided for the two rollers, when the instantaneous bearing pointof one roller has a different radius from that of the other roller andthe two rollers are driven at the same angular velority. By continuousextension of the pressure cylinder 13, the slide 15 is graduallydisplaced to the left at a speed adapted to the properties of theworkpiece. Consequently, and because the cylinder 12 is under theconstant preset pressure, the smoothing roller 17 is guidedcorrespondingly slowly over the entire edge region of the workpiece 5,whereby the desired flanged edge is produced on the latter. Ontermination of the shaping operation the workpiece is removed from themachine, the smoothing roller 17 being first siwung away and thecompleted boiler and released by raising the ram 6.

Experiments have shown that, with a machine constructed as abovedescribed it is possible to produce boiler ends from relatively thinstainless sheets. The above described machine has a relatively simpleconstruction and may thus be manufactured relatively cheaply. It issimple to operate and operationally reliable because of its simpleconstruction, so that it can be operated by trained workers withoutdifficulty or the necessity for considerable practice.

It will be appreciated that the above described embodiment is given byway of example only and that various modifications may be made to theabove described embodiment without departing from the scope and spiritof the invention.

We claim:

1. In a flanging machine for flanging boiler ends, of the type includinga centering device for securing a workpiece so as to be freely rotatableabout the axis of the centering device, a shaping roller for shaping theworkpiece from inside, and a smoothing roller adjustable during rollingfor pressing the workpiece against the shaping roller, with the shapingroller being rotatable for flanging about an axis intersecting the axisof the centering device, and the smoothing roller being pivotally anddisplaceably mounted, during flanging, in a plane including the axis ofthe centering device and the axis of the shaping roller; the improvementcomprising, in combination, a slideway mounting said smoothing rollerfor axial displacement; means mounting said slideway for swingablemovement about a single axis normal to said plane; and respectivehydraulic motors driving said shaping roller and said smoothing roller.

2. In a flanging machine for flanging boiler ends, of the type includinga centering device for securing a workpiece so as to be freely rotatableabout the axis of the centering device, a shaping roller for shaping theworkpiece from inside, and a smoothing roller adjustable during rollingfor pressing the workpiece against the shaping roller, with the shapingroller being rotatable for flanging about an axis intersecting the axisof the centering device, and the smoothing roller being pivotally anddisplaceably mounted during flanging in a plane including the axis ofthe centering device and the axis of the shaping roller; the improvementcomprising, in combination, a slideway mounting said smoothing rollerfor axial displacement; means mounting said slideway for swingablemovement about a single axis normal to said plane; a slide slidablymounted in said slideway and carrying said smoothing roller; aswivelling means acting on said slideway with constant force so as topress said smoothing roller against the workpiece; and a controllablesliding means for displacing said slide along said slideway.

3. In a flanging machine for flanging boiler ends, of the type includinga centering device for securing a workpiece so as to be freely rotatableabout the axis of the centering device, a shaping roller for shaping thework-- piece from inside, and a smoothing roller adjustable duringrolling for pressing the workpiece against the shaping roller, with theshaping roller being rotatable for flanging about an axis intersectingthe axis of the centering device, and the smoothing roller beingpivotally and displaceably mounted, during flanging, in a planeincluding the axis of the centering device and the axis of the shapingroller; the improvement comprising, in combination, an elongatedslideway extending toward the axis of the centering device and mountingsaid smoothing roller for displacement parallel to its axis of rotation;means mounting said slideway for swingable movement about a single axis,intersecting and normal to said plane and spaced from said axis ofrotation; a single first actuator controlling swinging of said slideway;and a single second actuator mounted on said slideway and displacingsaid smoothing roller longitudinally of said slideway and parallel toits axis of rotation.

4. A machine as defined in claim 1., wherein said swivelling means andsaid sliding means are pressure cylinders.

5. A machine as defined in claim 3 wherein the position of said slidewayaxis is adjustable in a direction parallel to the axis of said centeringdevice for enabling the machining of difierent workpieces.

6. A machine as defined in claim 1, including a common hydroulicpressure generator supplying pressure fluid to both said hydraulicmotors to avoid slip.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,380,274 4/1968 {Gustavsson72--85 FOREIGN PATENTS 893,832 4/ 1962 Great Britain 72-82 LOWELL A.LARSON, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.=R. 286, 101

